Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1887-04-29
MICHIGAN'S BATTLE
FRANCES L. WILLARD.

II marked an epoch in the mighty march
OF prohibition. The peoples heart beat
true to the Amendment the great parties,
the great press and great politicians were
false; the pulpit, in the main loyal, afford
ed the most numerous and notable except
ions to that loyalty which we have yet
had the grief TO chronicle the womanhood
Of The state accomplished prodigies in
spite of its manacled hands. High license
like grislv ghost, peeped and multered
its false plailudes: Make the traffic
bear its own burdens;" "Prohibition dor I
prohibit;" "hacticai Temperance is what
we Geek" Deliberately providing for the
saloon door TO remain oren, and accepting
money Tor allowing it to stay, high license,
the most treacherous and hypocriiicnl
method Of legislation tha: ever bewitched
good men aud lirxed their names with
bad ones, is responsible for the defeat that
has given a new disease, "wlite ribboner's
heart ache" to our heroic Michigan bri-
gade. II truth is ever vindicaied, il will
yet be proved that a majority of the votes
were cast for the Amendment, and that
the mimions of the liquor oligarcliy count
ed us out by counting IN ballots atrociou-ly
fraudulent. But this cannot change the
record, more shameful TO Michigan than
any ever before made in nll her annals,
that church members voting against the
Amendment, held the balance OF power
Ministers, elders and deacons linve done
what they could 10 fasten this infamy upon
the records of their state, and have glor-
led IN their deed. by pen and voice they
have as'niied prohibition with violence
that would have been virulence had they
not all been honorable men," High
license, when il il conceived, bringeih
forth cn,scicnces scared as with hot iron
sp that well inleniioned men say TO evil,
"Be thou my good" II ever ! realized
what It is TO be "given over to believe
lie," il WAS when mn eminent Presbyterian
Of Detroit, "lhe Father Of the Tax Law"
publicly declared that he would "see his
right hand burned off, before he would vote
for the Amendment. could only think,
in contemplating his case and that Of
others in high position who did their ut
most against the temperance work, "Woe
unto you lawyers, for ye have taken away
the key OF knowledge ye would not enter
in yourselves, and them that were enter
ing ye hindered."
"Woe unto you Scribes and Pharisees,
hypocriIesw was tie refrain that echoed
in my ears for The first lime in my life, as
followed their terrible words stenograph.
ed in the Detroit press and lndustriously
spread throughout the state and nation
| did not know my own capacity fol righ-
teons Indignation until the Michigan cam
paign. There Ia not in my heart the least
bitterness toward minister or layman who
thus wounded this most sacred cause, who
crucifed the Lord nfresh and put Him ia
an open shame. could meet them to
day with entire kindness and personal good
will, but for their words and deeds fee
an adherence which no language may
measure. For me 10 speak MS they have
spoken would be to merit the opprobrium
nay, the execration of all reputable mel
and women. But poisoned through anC
through rs they are with malaria Of lhei
high license sophislry, the cause thev hav,
betrayed can say, "Holy Father lorgiv,
them, they know not what they do"
II is computed that about eighty out o
. five hundred newspapeis were true Il
Michigan's ineffable opportunity, AM
I that seventy per cent of her clergy recog
: nized in the Amendment Gods call t
them TO outlaw that abomination of desc
/, lation-.lIle saloon. should think III
!. figure larger, and that ninety per cent c
her pastors Yero men for the crisis an
!, not fossils Of the DRIFT period. The tw
}. great parties stood by conseniing to III
death oi the Amendment they were Ill